BIRDING BASICS: How to ID The Red Tailed Black Cockatoo
Time spent spotting the endangered and endemic forest red-tailed black cockatoo qualifies as a legitimate late note in the Margaret River Region. Rare to sight, tricky to photograph but beautiful to chance upon, it takes commitment, awareness and a little bit of luck to engineer your own close encounter. These local tips should help you along. WORDS | Sarina Kamini IMAGES | Sean Blocksidge & Tim Campbell
WHERE TO SPOT THEM
and seeing them in flock is one of the most
Red-tailed black cockatoos favourite grub
stunning things,” says Augusta local, Carolyn
is the marri nut, which makes this a species
Tenardi, who walks daily in the bush behind
inclined to forest dwelling. Jarrah, marri
the Augusta football oval and BMX park,
and karri forests are their most obvious
a bit of reserve where the rare species
stomping grounds. And while the keen-
congregate to chatter and feed. “In spring
eyed driver will be sure to spot at least
that bushland is a mass of wild flowers. And
a few small flocks on a road trip from
every day I see Carnaby’s and forest red-
the Margaret River township to Nannup
tails. They are treasures.”
- flanked as the road is by national park even small tree groves closer to regional
HOW TO FIND THEM
towns can be prime spotting zones.
Tune your ears. The cry of the forest red-
The square of bush in the Margaret River
and harsh ‘karee’ or ‘kra-raak’. A little bit
and Railway Terrace can prove a hot spot.
of familiarity with the call means you’ll
A walk along the trail in the A-class reserve
hear a flock long before you see it. Early
of Nguraren Kalleep just north of town is an
morning and early evening around watering
opportunity for a red-tailed interaction. As
holes in farm paddocks, or forest-bracketed
is a walk through the Carters Road trails.
waterways, are typical spots to hear a call.
The bushland around Gracetown is a
| Tales & Trails / margaretriver.com
And don’t just look up: using marri nuts to
frequent red-tailed black cockatoo feeding
identify red-tailed feeding zones is easier
and nesting ground too, and the forest trails
than it might sound. Alongside the white-
around Rosabrook rarely disappoint bird
tailed Carnaby and Baudin’s black cockatoos,
enthusiasts.
the south-west red-tails have a distinctive
Trails into bushland around the Augusta
60
tailed black cockatoo is a distinctive, loud
town between Clarke Road, Boodjidup Road
bite when munching their favourite meal
township are also favourite spotting zones
- marri nuts that have been chewed out
for local birders: “I absolutely love them
from the bottom indicate red-tailed feeding
